The Sapphire Chronicles: Journey to the Dells
by atrueblue
Summary: Enjoy the journey of our favorite graceling: Sapphire. Saf leaves Bitterblue City behind him, on a journey to the mysterious lands of the East known as the Dells. He encounters new adventures and new places and makes unexpected friends in a fellow sailor and a girl with a hidden and troubled past.
1. prologue

**[Prologue]**

The sun had finally set over Monsea, leaving the land covered in darkness. Waves broke gently over the docks that tethered a giant wooden ship, whose sails shone eerily in the pale moonlight. The ship would be leaving bright and early the next morning on its very first expedition, to explore the unknown lands to the East.

Two Lienid guards protected the docked entrance to the giant ship. They looked so much a like it was possible they were brothers, or even twins. The brother on the right hummed quietly to himself and inspected his sword. The one on the left gazed out to the sea as if it were calling to him.

A small figure approached the guards without them noticing; a young person in boys clothing, but so delicate it could very well have been a girl. A dark hood was drawn over the figure's head hiding not only their hair but the color of their eyes.

"Let me onto the ship," the figure said in a soft high-pitched voice, proving that she was in fact female. Both guards snapped out of their separate reveries and pulled themselves to attention. The girl tossed a coin to the brother on the left. He was surprised and almost dropped the gold straight into the ocean. The other brother was ready for his coin and caught it easily when she tossed it to him. "Forget I was ever here," she said in the same calm yet precise tone.

Both guards nodded, each examining their bribe. The hooded figure slipped in between them and onto the ship. The guards pocketed their money in silence. The brother on the left turned back out to the sea. The brother on the right resumed his humming. It was as if the girl had never been there at all.


	2. chapter one

**[chapter one]**

Saf boarded the ship in a turmoil of emotion. Every feeling ripped and pulled at him, threatening to break him apart into a million pieces. There was too much for him to process. He wanted to punch someone. Or cry. He wanted to climb up to the top of the mast and lean out toward the open sea air. He also wanted to curl up and sleep forever.

Guards and sailors were going every which way, assigning rooms and jobs. Saf saw the strange Dellian passengers and the dark skinned woman that Bitterblue had told him about. _Bitterblue_. The aching feeling in his chest grew stronger and he quickly tried to think of something else. The Lienid ship was quite large, but not as big as some of King Ror's other ships. They were traveling to the distant land of the Dells that was only just now made known to them. They wanted to travel light and unnoticed, but able to defend themselves if need be.

Oh, how he'd missed being on a ship. He'd been stuck on land too long. Yes there had been plenty of adventure and of course there was Bitterblue. No, he could not dwell on her. Breathing in the sea salt helped clear his muddled mind. He was a sailor. This was home.

"Your name?" a tall and lanky sailor asked him. He was a good few inches taller than Saf, and seemed about his own age. Lienid gold glinted in his ears and on his fingers. In his hands was a roll of papers.

"Saf. Sapphire Birch."

The young sailor peered over the paper and looked up with a grin. There was a gap between his front two teeth. "You're in bunk room E," he said, "same as me. I'm Caspian." His eyes, unlike the usual Lienid grey were solid onyx black. The made Saf uncomfortable, even though both eyes were the same color.

Saf shrugged his shoulders trying to seem unconcerned. "I'm heading down there now."

Caspian didn't seem at all ruffled by Saf's unfriendliness. On the contrary he slapped his shoulder with the stupid grin still plastered on his face. "I'll see you around bunk mate."

After dropping his small bag on his bed Saf decided to wander through the lower decks. He could hear feet running back and forth above him and then the ship began to move. Finally. He was headed for the open sea.

Saf tried to rejoice in that. He tried not to think about what he was leaving behind. Or more specifically, who he was leaving behind. It hurt too much.

Quite by accident Saf stumbled into the storage room. He literally tripped over the door hatch and fell down the stairs and into the storage room, near the very base of the ship. He chose a few of his worst swear words to mutter as he got up and dusted himself off. He was never clumsy, but his mind just wasn't focusing.

He was all out of sorts. He had to pull himself together, quickly. The sooner the ship sailed away from Monsea the sooner he would be able to get over her. Saf already had a foot on the first step leading back out of the storage room when he realized he wasn't alone.

A small girl was watching him curiously. She was perched on a barrel her knees pulled tight to her chest. The light was dim and hid half of her face in shadows. It took him a few seconds to calm his racing heart. At first glance he had thought it was Bitterblue. An absurd thought, he realized afterward.

She looked nothing like Bitterblue, or at least not what he could see of her. Her hair was dark, black or brown, he couldn't tell. She had fair skin like him and the one eye he could see was a deep royal blue.

"What are you doing, hiding down here?" he snapped.

The girl raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. Saf did not like the way she was studying him and he did not like that he could only see half of her face. He didn't trust her but by her facial expression she didn't seem to trust him either.

"Everyone is up on deck," he added, knowing he should have just turned around and left. Yet, the girl bugged him and he hadn't picked a fight in a few hours. Why not have a little fun?

She tilted her head slightly and grinned. "You're not on the deck."

Anger and sadness pumped their way through his veins. "I am just scoping out the ship." It wasn't a lie. It just wasn't the whole truth.

"I'm sorry you fell down the stairs," she said.

Saf had never really wanted to punch a girl before. It was a strange new feeling. It took every ounce of self control for him to turn his voice into honey. "Why don't I go upstairs with you?" he purred, laying on the charm thick.

Her face finally turned away from him. "It's too sad," she said quietly. Saf was genuinely surprised by her answer. He tried to come up with a response but couldn't think of anything quick enough. "I don't want to see what I'm leaving behind," she added after a few seconds of silence.

Saf imagined standing on the deck and watching Bitterblue City growing smaller and smaller until it was a mere line on the horizon. The ache in his chest returned. It was the reason he was wandering in the depths of the ship instead of busying his hands and mind above ship.

But he didn't want to have anything in common with this mysterious girl. So he gritted his teeth. "You could always just look forward to what lies ahead," he said coldly. Speaking to her and himself. He needed to get over his sad little broken heart. He had things to do, adventures to have, new sights, smells and sounds to experience.

The girl did not respond, so Saf turned on his heel and stomped loudly up the stairs leaving the girl to wallow in her sadness alone.


End file.
